A first attempt at capturing bear mid shake. Thanks to Michael and Pete for assisting and Bear for being repeatedly soaked. It’s a good job labs like water. Lighting – Beauty Dish as the main light, magnum reflector behind Bear, both powered by Profoto Pro-7a. The beauty dish illuminates Bear, while the strobe behind bear illuminates the droplets. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
My younger sister used to work in Sheffield’s steel industry, which makes the following comment almost heresy. I just bought a ceramic knife. Although they’re both usually white, a ceramic knife is very different from the dull plastic utensil you’re given on planes or at picnics. Constructed from zirconium dioxide the blade is hard and it’s edge is very, very sharp. On Okinawa where you live in a mix of humidity, rain and salt spray, steel doesn’t stand much of a chance. Knives, cars, lawnmowers, and bicycles are quickly reduced to junk. (Prizes to those who spotted the pun in the last sentence.) Although the knife is more brittle than a metal blade, (you’ll break the tip if you try to lever the lid off a can of paint) it’s still an impressive piece of engineering. Until recently, I’d always associated high-tech ceramics with the Space Shuttle, but now it is companies like Kyocera who are at the cutting edge of technology.
The first thing you notice when you arrive in Okinawa are the orchids. They greet you at the airport, then in the hotel lobby, and if you’re staying somewhere nice, in your room. They are also a common gift, when you might otherwise give a bunch of flowers. When people start a new business, move house, or even hold an exhibition it’s quite common to see an impressive display of orchids. If you want to see a large variety of orchids on Okinawa, check out Bios Botanical Gardens in Uruma City or the Tropical Dream Center located in Expo park a short walk from the Churaumi Aquarium.
Great Photography 101 workshop last weekend. Saturday was all about the fundamentals, looking at how we can better control aperture, exposure and composition, then on Sunday we explored the Yomitan peninsular to practice our techniques. Shirley got this great shot of a couple posing at Cape Maeda. I like the way she’s positioned the couple away from the center of the frame for better composition, and captured the decisive moment as they both smile for their own photograph. And here’s a shot of me demonstrating that you sometimes have to get down to the same level as your subjects. As one of Japan’s most famous diving and snorkeling spots it was not surprising that on a gorgeous day in August there were plenty of people enjoying the water. I took at quick photograph of the scene, and when looking at the image on the computer it reminded of the Where’s Wally books. (Where’s Waldo in the U.S.) I put the full size image up on Flickr, scroll around the screen to check out everyone having …
Here’s a couple of night photographs I’ve taken since Trevor’s light painting course last month. The first shot had an exposure of about half a minute, the second shot was closer to 15 minutes.
Not often that you look up at the night sky and wonder if The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are about to burst through the clouds.
A few more, somewhat cringeworthy, images from the Photographer Fight Club shoot. Thanks to both Michael and Pete for letting me post their images on the blog, and for a fun, inspirational evening.
When I started studio photography I was fascinated with the catchlights in the eyes of models. I’d have my face pressed up against posters in department stores working out whether the photographer used a beauty dish, a parabolic, or clamshell lighting. Recently I’ve been looking at rim lighting, which is why I was standing staring at the Harry Potter posters as I left the cinema. Rim lighting can be used to accentuate form, which is why it really worked with the shots of Michael.
As the typhoon approached I invited photographers Pete Leong and Michael Taylor over for a fight. More images and the results of our tournament to follow.
A couple of years ago I held a small exhibition at Cotonoha Art Space + Cafe. It’s a great place run by American expat Daryl “Michi” Mitchell, and well worth visiting. Hideki, one of Michi’s friends, asked if he could make a mini documentary about the event, and it was finally uploaded to You Tube a few weeks ago. I’m aware that my name isn’t spelt correctly at times, but it’s a great reminder of a fun event. A big thanks to Keith Gordon of Ryukyu Underground for the use of his tracks as background music. More thanks to both Michi and Hideki for helping me put on the exhibition and creating the video. You can see more images from my exhibitions in the following video. Music by Eduardo Terre. Prints from the exhibitions are currently available through the website or at Kadena Gift Corner.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 